


Howls of sadness

by Skrolan



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Cute, Hugs, Judge Zacharie, M/M, Madness, Monster Batter, Monsters, Oneshot, Sadness, Spoilers, merchant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 04:53:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19124992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skrolan/pseuds/Skrolan
Summary: When the Batter takes a break from purification Zacharie forces him to reveal his true selfIt's short, it's maybe a little cryptic.





	Howls of sadness

„You seem troubled, Batter meow.“ 

Zacharie had silently crept up to the batter who was sitting on the grass, playing with Omega, who was dancing around him in circles. 

„I am not troubled. I‘m just taking a break from purifying the world.“

„You? Taking a break from the great purification? The quest you‘ve come to see through in this world? Led by the dollmaster?“

He looked up at the sky, squatting down next to the other. 

„Are you happy with this?“, he whispered to the clouds before he flopped down on his back and turned to the batter. 

He seemed white against the sun, the skin pale and his beard scruffy. He was covered in little patches and bandages, his baseball clothes a little dirty from all the fights he had fought. 

„Aren‘t you sleepy, batter?“

The batter shook his head and waved Omega to the other two spirit rings who were floating above the patches of grass just next to the river.

Bothered by the lack of speech Zacharie quickly crawled up to the batter and stabilized himself on his shoulders, his mouth close to the others ear.

„Why won‘t you speak to me?“, he whispered, which had the other shivering and quickly pushing him away. 

Giggling Zacharie let himself be pushed away and straightened his white pullover with the heart on it. 

„There is no need to speak.“

Behind his mask Zacharie was grinning as he pulled his pullover down a little and moved to sit in front of the batter. 

„The people say that since you‘ve purified the library you can hear it howling. They say that the books are cursing us for walking into the forbidden areas. They say we were doomed from the moment you came here.“ 

The batter pulled his cap down and gritted his teeth, the bat to his side resting firmly in his clutched hand. 

Zacharie laughed, a low ‚meow‘ escaping him as if this was super fun to him. 

„Pablo is at the top. He‘s howling. He‘s crying. He‘s moaning and sighing. Do you hear it, batter?“

No response.

„Because you killed his brother, bat-“

„It was part of the purification. His brother was possessed by evil spirits.“

Surprised at the sudden answer Zacharie just stared for a second, then tilted his head to the side, the evergrinning mask mocking the batter. 

„I can see you, batter.“

Shocked the batter looked up, his eyes a deep black in his pale face, overshadowed by the cap pulled too far down. 

„You killed him, batter. You killed him. He was possessed by the firebird, but he was alive. And now Pablo has lost him twice. You killed him, batter. You killed him.“

„I purified.“

It was getting harder for the batter to speak; he was trembling, clenching and unclenching his fists in an attempt to no charge at Zacharie. 

The merchant was pleased with the reaction and stood up now, ruffling through his black hair before he bowed over the batter, staring closely into his face. 

„You‘re a monster, batter. Look around you. Can you see the green patches of grass in your purified world?“

The batter, moving back for a second, slowly turned to look at the world. The grey, grey world.  
Grey, grey, grey, grey, grey, greygreygreygreygrey…

„It‘s grey, isn‘t it?“, Zacharie whispered before he was pushed back with force, stumbling backwards and falling. 

The other was breathing heavily, clutching his head, trembling. Sweat was drooping from his forehead and his weak legs barely helped him standing up. 

A howl cut through the silence of the world. Bones cracking and snapping, skin tearing at brute force; underneath the batters clothing his body was deforming, turning into something else, tearing at the clothes from the inside while the bones changed structure. 

Then silence, only an occasional growl in the wind.

„You‘ve seen Pablo, haven‘t you?“

Zacharie slowly moved closer and stretched out his hand to the monstrous snout of the batter. 

His eyes were black and endless, black tears oozing from those pools of sorrow. He was whining and growling, crying like this was the first time he‘d ever done so. 

„Yes, you‘ve seen him. Because those were his howls.“

The batter let out a sharp cry and stumbled backwards, the bat in his hand splintering under the force he crushed it with.

„Did you kill him?“

The monster shook his head and howled, the spirit rings gathering behind him. 

„And I thought that this wasn‘t you howling.“ 

Zacharie closed the distance once more, sure of the batter not attacking him. No one could attack Zacharie. It was not programmed in the game.

„Then why are you howling, batter? Is it because of this world?“

Greygreygreygreygreygrey…

„Then why are you crying?“

The batter swung at him but nothing hit him.

„Come here, batter. Calm down.“

Zacharie opened his arms for a hug, while the batter was perplexed. 

„Come here.“

The monster‘s howl grew louder and louder until it fell into Zacharies arms, bones cracking and snapping and skin tearing as the monster turned back into the batter. 

He was laying in his arms, covered in little patches and bandages, splinters digging into his hand, his skin pale and white with deep, black eyes in the shadow of his black cap. 

„You‘re purpose is not over yet, batter. You can‘t rest just yet“, he whispered to the one in his arms, meowing silently in pleasure at the touch. 

The batter was cold, nothing like a living being, frozen to a white statue in his arms. 

Zacharie looked up. 

„They‘re back. They want you to fight, batter. So go now.“

He let go of the other who slumped a little and stared blank ahead, the tears dried in just a moment. He was once more a doll. 

Swiftly pulling out the splinters in his hand he bandaged himself and pat the spirit rings that nuzzled him loyally. 

„Don‘t forget your bat, batter.“ 

As if nothing had happened the batter took up the damaged bat and stared blank at Zacharie before he walked away.

Zacharie watched him take one step after the other, the spirits following him obediently, until they were around the corner and gone.

Looking up to the sky once more he stretched out one hand as if he wanted to grab the clouds and fly away with them.

„Hey, player. Will you kill him later? Or will you choose to side with him. But you know that either way, this will all be your fault, right?“

He laughed and stretched relaxed with a meow before he gave a last melancholic glance at the water.

„If you survive this, we will be the only ones left. But i‘ll be here for you. I always will“, he whispered, his words washed away by the wind. 

Shrugging it off he straightened his clothes and ruffled through his hair. 

„Go on, batter. I‘ll be right there to sell you your stuff.“


End file.
